Bears Roster Moves: Defensive Star Placed on IR, OL Depth Added

Well, it finally happened. After over a week of speculation, the Chicago Bears officially placed Pro Bowl defensive lineman Akiem Hicks on the injured reserve list Tuesday.

Hicks injured his elbow early in the first quarter of the Bears game against the Oakland Raiders in London Week 5. Thus, the Bears will be without one of their best run blockers for at least eight weeks:

The Bears should be encouraged by a few things despite losing Hicks. The first is that he’ll likely be back before the end of the season, and the team is also getting second-year standout Bilal Nichols back at a time when they’ll be needing him most. While losing Hicks is not ideal, this Bears defense has displayed a great deal of depth already this season, and Nichols will be one of several players asked to step up in Hicks’ absence.

The Bears will certainly miss Hicks’ durability. hHe played every snap for them from 2016-2018, which was fourth-most among defensive linemen in the NFL.

Nichols has not been cleared to start Week 7, but he did practice with the team for the first time Monday since he broke his hand during the team’s Week 2 contest against the Denver Broncos. His being on the field and back at practice is a good sign for the team, however. If he doesn’t return Week 7 for the Saints game, he should return soon after.

The Bears also moved undrafted free agent Alex Bars out of Notre Dame up from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster. The addition of Bars will provide the Bears’ offensive line with some much-needed help.

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Alex Bars Will Provide O-Line Depth, Help Fill Void Left By Kyle Long

With starting guard Kyle Long placed on the injured reserve list Monday, the team will have Rashaad Coward taking first team reps in practice this week. And with Long’s backup Ted Larsen still recovering from a knee injury, Bars should provide some additional depth on the offensive line.

Bars had a solid preseason, and when the Bears cut him, Bears fans and media following the team considered it Chicago’s most surprising cut:

Bars is familiar with the Bears offensive line coach, Harry Hiestand, after spending time working with him at Notre Dame. This relationship could be important moving forward. He is young and athletic with a good deal of upside. His potential is great enough to interest the New England Patriots, who tried to sign Bars off the Bears practice squad recently. The Bears gave Bars a pay hike, (he now makes the rookie minimum salary of $495,000), and he chose to stay with Chicago.

The Bears return from their bye week this week, and will face a very tough challenge when they host a 5-1 New Orleans Saints team. They’ll need all the help they can get on both sides of the ball to make up for the absence of leadership both Long and Hicks bring to the lineup.

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